Tayside and Central

Image source, SNS

After making a sooner-than-expected recovery from injury, Aaron Donnelly is hoping to make his mark for Dundee.

The 20-year-old went back to parent club Nottingham Forest before making his return to the side at the start of the month.

After losing at Ibrox last time out, the defender is eyeing a response as they head to Ross County on Saturday.

"It's going to be very much like last game. They're a big physical team. They've got a lift since the new manager game in.

"Everybody has been on it in training last week. We know we need to bounce back like last week.

"I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I got injured on the second day which wasn't ideal but I'm back now and ready to play. Hopefully, I get as many minutes as possible.

"I was due to be out for 12-14 weeks but the rehab team in Nottingham were brilliant and got me back in 8-10 weeks."

Image source, SNS

While January can leave some managers scrambling around to bolster their squad, Tony Docherty seems fairly content with the bodies he has in the building.

The Dundee boss had plenty of praise for his current squad, who he says are pushing each other to create healthy competition.

"I was really happy with the squad I assembled in the summer," Tony Docherty.

"For the group behind them [the starting XI], there was another reserve game where they ran out 7-2 winners. The ones who have been picked on a consistent basis, they know they're under pressure to perform.

"There's a healthy level of competition. As a manager, that's what I want. I have to praise squad for being like that.

"I think what happens in January a knock on from your summer transfer window. The effects of that can be less if you recruit well in the summer, and I feel we did recruit well in the summer.

"Give or take maybe a couple of tweaks we've got, I think we're in as strong position in terms of the squad that we can maintain the levels we've got without wholesale changes."

Dundee manager Tony Docherty has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's trip to Ross County.

Here are the key points...

• Expects a difficult game against Ross County, saying Dundee need to "at their best" to avoid being leapfrogged by their opposition.

• Stresses that he wanted Dundee to be competitive in every game and thinks they've achieved that with "consistency" and "maintaining levels of performance".

• "Really happy" with the squad he's assembled, adding that the players being left out are showing "outstanding professionalism" to create competition.

• Doesn't expect to make "wholesale changes" in January window, adding that there may be a few "tweaks".

• Antonio Portalles damaged his hamstring at Ibrox and will be out for "10-12 weeks". Diego Pineda remains out, Marcel Lewis has picked up a knock and Owen Beck is a doubt for the weekend.

Image source, SNS

Dundee will not make "knee-jerk" moves in the January transfer window, says manager Tony Docherty. (Courier - subscription required), external

Former Dundee assistant Simon Rusk has joined the coaching staff at Nottingham Forest. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip

Dundee travel to Dingwall to face Ross County on Saturday and will be looking for a win.

What changes would you make from the team who played in the Rangers defeat?

Put yourself in the manager's shoes and tell us your starting XI here.

Dundee are in talks with Liverpool about the future of Owen Beck, the 21-year-old full-back who is on loan with the Scottish Premiership club. (The Courier), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

There is a real yo-yo nature to this season’s Scottish Premiership – Dundee are a case in point.

With the teams below Glasgow’s big two very tightly bunched up, a couple of wins can send you hurtling up the table, but a few defeats and you can go tumbling down very rapidly.

Seventh-placed Dundee travel to Ross County in eighth on Saturday, two teams separated by just one point, though they have taken very different routes to get to where they are just now.

While County have hauled themselves away from the drop zone in recent games, the Dark Blues have slipped out of the top six.

It's three matches without a win for Tony Docherty’s team. No-one should be panicking about the recent slump if form however, they are continuing to play some really nice stuff, and have still been performing very well in that run of fixtures.

But a defeat in Dingwall would see them drop down another place in the table.

Given that, it has the feel of a big game this weekend, and if they can navigate it successfully, it would certainly set them up nicely with three of their four games after that all on home soil.

St Johnstone and Dundee top the Premiership's nutmeg charts, with Owen Beck and Matt Smith top of the individual standings.

StatsBomb analyst Jaymes Monte, external shared the results of the nutmeg league table for the Scottish top flight, weighing up nutmegs for and nutmegs against teams to come up with a club's 'nutmeg difference'.

Saints have a "nutmeg difference" of seven so far this season, with Dundee just behind them on six.

The next nearest team in the table are Aberdeen with four, and Celtic behind them on two. The only other teams in positive figures are Rangers and Hearts, both on one.

The remaining teams have been the on the losing end of more nutmegs than they have carried out.

Smith and Beck are joint top of the individual table with five nutmegs each.

Image source, SNS

Daniel Smith, Up Wi' The Bonnets podcast, external

I'm not going to dwell on Saturday's defeat at Ibrox. 

I could go on about the penalty they were given to go 2-1 ahead, despite both players pulling at each other’s tops, but that would just come off as sour grapes. 

To be honest, Rangers had the vast majority of the better chances and deserved their victory, but it still doesn't mean we can't feel aggrieved. 

The big topic we need to be talking about is our up and coming match up in Dingwall against Ross County. 

Results haven't gone our way recently and we have had to watch on nervously as clubs who had been struggling below us in the league have started to pick up a few wins here and a couple of draws there.

County have definitely picked up since Derek Adams made the trip back up north, having seen them draw once and win two on their own patch without conceding a single goal.

Dundee have generally failed to consistently pick up positive results in the Highlands, but on this occasion, we really do need to be looking at a victory here. It's what you'd call an old fashioned six-pointer.

If we can tighten up at the back, I'm positive a result will come our way. After so many clean sheets and solid displays at the back, we have conceded eight goals in three matches. 

Plug the leaky defence, and we could very well be seeing the points traveling back down to the Dee.

Dundee are "in the middle of discussions" with Liverpool over ensuring loanee Owen Beck sees out his season-long loan at Dens Park. (The Courier)

Click here to read Tuesday's Scottish football gossip in full.

Image source, SNS

Jane Lewis, BBC Sport Scotland at Ibrox

Amadou Bakayoko opened the scoring at Ibrox early doors, perhaps too early, as Rangers cantered on to victory.

Despite defeat, the impressive striker caught up with me post match. Here's what he had to say...

On scoring:

"We put pressure on them in the first few minutes and we ended up getting a goal from it which put us in good stead. So we were hoping to obviously continue that with the momentum that we had. But the game kind of swayed. It was good to get a goal, though."

On sending off:

"He [Jose Cifuentes] obviously stepped on me, but that's one of them the referee just looks at, and he's got to do what he what he feels is necessary. The game did change a little bit for us and I think we just needed to find ways of getting through them with putting balls in the box or putting them under a bit of pressure. But we didn't manage to do that unfortunately."

On the penalty:

"Again it’s disappointing obviously that he’s made that decision. It did put us on the back foot after that goal and that's when we obviously had to find ways of staying in the game. We didn't need to really go and concede the third, which kind of killed us. That is something that we'll definitely learn from and I think come the next few games, we'll put it right."

On learnings from the game:

"I think we could do a lot better. I think we've got a great team and I think it was a bit disappointing that we couldn't really go and get another goal and put them under more pressure, which I think we're more than capable of doing to any team. But you learn how to stay in a game and take it in stages with these type of games and then hopefully on the next one again we’ll do it right."

On season so far:

"The manager's done a great job recruiting the players that he feels are right. When I first came in, you want to achieve and be at the highest possible position and I didn't think anything else than trying to be the best and be up high in the table. I'm hoping that we can go and push on because I really think we've shown it. We can do a lot more than what we're doing right now and I think we definitely will do."

On Tony Docherty:

"Amazing. He's one of the main reasons I came here. The belief that he has in us as players and in the whole club, the way he's been dealing with things, I think it's been amazing. Every time I step on the pitch I want to do my best for him, for the club, the boys but he keeps us hungry."

• Rangers have scored in 14 of their 16 games, no team has done so more often in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Phillipe Clement's side have won their last three games in the Scottish Premiership, their last longer winning streak was from 8 October 2023 to 12 November 2023, a run of five games.

• Rangers have scored in their last 12 games in the Scottish Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 26 games from 17 September 2022 to 15 April 2023.

• The Ibrox club have won seven points from losing positions in the Scottish Premiership this season, only Motherwell (eight) have recovered more.

• Amadou Bakayoko scored after just 4 minutes, 50 seconds, the fastest goal for Dundee in the league this season.

• Dundee have lost nine points from winning positions in the Scottish Premiership this season, no team has lost more.

• Dundee have lost after scoring the opening goal in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 15 May 2022 against Livingston (six games without defeat).